A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 4

as he began unwrapping the package, 'I was
instructed to treat it delicately, and to keep it upright. And
you will, in moments, see why.'
    Karos Invictad watched with heavy-lidded eyes as the
grease-stained, poor quality ragweed wrapping was
delicately pulled away, revealing a small, open-topped
wooden box that seemed to possess layered sides. The
Invigilator leaned forward to peer inside.
    And saw a two-headed insect, such as were now appearing
down by the river. Its legs were moving precisely,
carrying it round . . . and round. The insides of the box
were each of coloured, polished tiles, and it appeared that
the tiles could be slid free, or rearranged, if one so chose.
    'What were the instructions, Tanal?'
    'The challenge is to halt the insect's motion. It will,
apparently, continue walking in a circle, in the same place,
until it dies of starvation – which, incidentally, is the fail
point for the puzzle . . . approximately four months. While
the creature rotates in place, it will not eat. As for water, a
small clump of soaked moss will suffice. As you can see, the
tiles on the inside can be rearranged, and presumably, once
the proper order or sequence is discovered, the insect will
stop. And you will have defeated the puzzle. The
restrictions are these: no object may be placed inside the
container; nor can you physically touch or make contact
with the insect.'
    Karos Invictad grunted. 'Seems direct enough. What is
the record for the solution?'
    'There is none. You are the first and only player,
apparently.'
    'Indeed. Curious. Tanal, three prisoners died in their
cells last night – some contagion is loose down there. Have
the corpses burned in the Receiving Ground west of the
city. Thoroughly. And have the rest washed down with
disinfectant.'
    'At once, Invigilator.'
    The ruins were far more extensive than is commonly imagined. In fact, most historians of the early period of the colony have paid little or no attention to the reports of the Royal Engineer, specifically those of Keden Qan, who served from the founding until the sixth decade. During the formulation of the settlement building plan, a most thorough survey was conducted. The three extant Jhag towers behind the Old Palace were in fact part of a far larger complex, which of course runs contrary to what is known of Jhag civilization. For this reason, it may be safe to assume that the Jhag complex on the bank of the Lether River represents a pre-dispersion site. That is, before the culture disintegrated in its sudden, violent diaspora. An alternative interpretation would be that the three main towers, four subterranean vaults, and what Qan called the Lined Moat all belonged to a single, unusually loyal family.
    In either case, the point I am making here is this: beyond the Jhag – or more correctly, Jaghut – complex, there were other ruins. Of course, one need not point out the most obvious and still existing Azath structure – that lecture will have to wait another day. Rather, in an area covering almost the entire expanse of present-day Letheras could be found foundation walls, plazas or concourses, shaped wells, drainage ditches and, indeed, some form of cemetery or mortuary, and – listen carefully now – all of it not of human design. Nor Jaghut, nor even Tarthenal.
    Now, what were the details of this unknown complex? Well, for one, it was self-contained, walled, entirely covered by multilevel roofing – even the plazas, alleys and streets. As a fortress, it was virtually impregnable. Beneath the intricately paved floors and streets, there was a second even more defensible city, the corridors and tunnels of which can now be found as an integral part of our sewer outflow.
    In short, Letheras, the colony of the First Empire, was founded upon the ruins of an earlier city, one whose layout seemed to disregard the presence of the Jaghut towers and the Azath, suggesting that it pre-dates both.
    Even the first engineer, Keden Qan, was unable or unwilling to attempt an identification of these early builders. Virtually no artifacts were found – no potsherds, no sculptures, no remnants of metal-working. One last interesting detail. It appeared that in the final stages of occupation, the dwellers set about frantic alterations to their city. Qan's analysis of these efforts led him to conclude that a catastrophic climate change had occurred, for the efforts indicated a desperate attempt to add insulation.
    Presumably, that effort failed—
    Her